Taith Iolo a Pws i St Kilda

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-I'm in the Hebrides, in Scotland, at

-the start of an adventurous journey.

-I'm going to travel over 50 miles

-out into the Atlantic...

-..to visit the most westerly and

-most striking island in Britain...

-..St Kilda.

-I've been invited to do a survey

-of sea birds that nest there.

-I've got someone to help me...

-Another one.

-Dewi, what on earth are you doing?

-You know this counting business?

-I've got a fantastic system.

-I'm surprised no-one's thought of it

-before. Every time I see a bird...

-..like that, I say, "Another one."

-Then when I return

-to the house in the evening...

-..I just count the times

-I said "Another one." Simple!

-(Tape)

-Another one... another one...

-I only agreed to do this counting...

-..because I've always

-wanted to see St Kilda.

-It's a special, unique island.

-I also wanted to find out about

-the people who lived there...

-..for generations, up to the 1930s,

-when they were persuaded...

-..that life would be much better

-on the mainland.

-Their way of life was unique and

-they were totally self-sufficient.

-The reason for that was that

-they were good climbers.

-They climbed the steep cliffs to

-catch what was their staple diet.

-That is, the birds that lived there.

-You think it's a long walk

-to the shop!

-What are those?

-What are those?

-

-Eider ducks.

-Oh - eiderdown. How many

-birds' names do you know?

-Ten.

-You just swap them round!

-Where exactly is St Kilda?

-That way.

-What's this place called?

-What's this place called?

-

-Balranald, on South Uist.

-Nice place.

-Better than the Caribbean.

-The finest beaches in the world.

-It is nice here.

-Balranald, RSPB Reserve, North Uist

-What's so special about this place?

-What's so special about this place?

-

-Just the birds you see here.

-Listen - use your ears.

-That's a redshank.

-There are lapwings everywhere.

-There's one calling over there.

-There's a redshank passing.

-There are snipes and curlews here.

-I've never seen, or heard,

-so many birds in one small patch.

-There are more of these birds

-in one square mile here...

-..than anywhere else in Europe.

-You wouldn't find as many birds

-in one place in Wales?

-But the birds are there?

-But the birds are there?

-

-Yes, but in Wales they're very rare.

-You might have found them in Wales

-a century ago.

-Look at this place.

-There's a small lake.

-The yellow iris grows here.

-That white flower is cottongrass.

-It's very wet here. You won't find

-wet places like this any more.

-They've all been drained, improved.

-Improved - or worsened!

-Improved - or worsened!

-

-Exactly.

-Once you do that,

-the birds leave - they vanish.

-Listen!

-BIRDSONG

-Why is it important that it's wet?

-Look at the birds. See that snipe?

-Yes, the one with a long beak.

-Yes, the one with a long beak.

-

-Yes.

-If the ground is hard,

-it can't put its beak in the mud.

-If it's wet, it can

-put its beak in, and feed.

-If wet, there are insects there.

-If dry, there are hardly any.

-It's nothing to do with nesting -

-they can nest anywhere?

-Yes, as long as there is growth.

-That's another thing we don't have.

-What's that?

-What's that?

-

-A lapwing.

-Ah, right!

-Ah, right!

-

-It's lovely.

-Ah, right!

-Yes. It's quite big.

-Yes - well, the wings are,

-not the bird.

-And that's a snipe. Can you see it?

-And that's a snipe. Can you see it?

-

-The one with with a long beak?

-The one with with a long beak?

-I'm starting to catch on!

-Shh!

-Can you hear it? It's fantastic -

-Oo Oo-Oo Oo-Oo... Listen.

-SOUND OF BIRD'S WINGS

-That doesn't sound

-like the bird's cry.

-That doesn't sound

-like the bird's cry.

-

-No, it's the feathers.

-No, it's the feathers.

-Its tail is shaped like this.

-The two feathers

-on the outside stick out so...

-..and make a sound like

-"Oo Oo-Oo Oo-Oo", when it dives.

-On purpose, or does it just happen?

-On purpose, or does it just happen?

-

-No, it's displaying.

-It's telling any other snipe

-to keep away - I'm here.

-My father calls these

-'caseg y gors' - 'marsh mare'.

-Because it sounds

-like a horse neighing?

-Yes. A good name.

-There it is.

-Listen!

-What's that?

-What's that?

-

-A corncrake. Hear it?

-Croak, croak!

-There it is!

-I'd give my right hand for a place

-like this near my home in Wales.

-It's very sad

-about the corncrake or 'ragarug'.

-The other birds

-are rare in Wales...

-..but the corncrake has left Wales.

-Granddad told me

-that a century ago...

-..when he lived on a farm near

-Llanrug, they were very common.

-They made quite a racket at night.

-By 1980, they were gone, every one.

-I've heard them once before

-but I've never seen one.

-They're shy birds. One thing

-I really want to do here...

-..is to see a corncrake.

-THEY WHISPER

-You've seen your first one.

-You've seen your first one.

-

-Yes, in that overgrowth.

-It's moving now, its head is up.

-It's moving now, its head is up.

-

-Oh, right.

-Good heavens, the first time

-ever I've seen one!

-You're happy?

-You're happy?

-

-Delighted!

-It's amazing.

-BIRD CROAKS

-It's only small...

-another one's calling behind us!

-It's small and brown.

-Look at it carefully.

-There's nothing remarkable about it.

-It has purple and orange

-markings on its side.

-It's like a brown moorhen.

-Maybe it isn't the bird itself,

-but what it represents.

-Ah, yes.

-The things that have gone, the old,

-traditional methods of farming.

-You wouldn't find a field

-like this at home.

-It's full of weeds and dock leaves.

-At home, it would be tidy.

-Exactly.

-People are obsessed with tidiness,

-be it a farm field or garden.

-It destroys habitat for wildlife.

-There's a pair nesting here, in a

-small field, no bigger than a lawn.

-But they'll nest here,

-and find what they need to eat.

-They won't leave

-for four or five months.

-Where do they go afterwards?

-Where do they go afterwards?

-

-All the way to Africa.

-All the way to Africa.

-Do many come back here?

-These are amongst the rarest birds

-we have in Britain.

-One's calling over there, another

-behind us, and one in this field.

-They were extremely common.

-I remember reading an old cookery

-book, by Mrs Miggins...

-..a recipe for 'Land Rail Pie'.

-It's an old name for the bird.

-There was a note on it saying,

-"If you can't find your land rail...

-.."go to Anglesey.

-There they are abundant."

-Now, every one has gone.

-Your enthusiasm's rubbing

-off on me!

-You'll make

-an ornithologist of me yet.

-It's amazing.

-It's a great feeling.

-Another one!

-I'm sure that some of the older

-viewers will remember it.

-They might shed a tear.

-I can believe it.

-I can believe it.

-

-Having lost an old friend.

-There are hundreds

-of different birds here.

-That's it - the corncrake's here.

-A snipe is calling over there.

-You hear that chut-chut, rrrr?

-That's a corn bunting.

-We only have three pairs left,

-but they're all here.

-Why? Because of the mixed farming.

-They don't...

-Purify the land.

-They don't misuse the land,

-they respect it.

-That's the essence of it.

-Corn buntings are numerous

-here on the Uists.

-But we only have three pairs

-left in Wales - six birds.

-Are they faithful to one partner?

-They say swans are.

-They are.

-Is every bird?

-Is every bird?

-

-No.

-Interesting research

-has been done with sparrows.

-It shows that when the cock

-goes off to fetch food...

-..he gets a bit of 'how's your

-father', here, there and everywhere.

-But what he doesn't know,

-when he's off, she goes next door.

-That's wrong!

-She might have six eggs,

-with four fathers.

-Good grief!

-So the cocks have a good time.

-No! That's the other thing.

-They're not like us.

-They don't have a 'didgeridoo'.

-The males?

-Yes. What they have is just

-a hole, more or less.

-He comes together with her.

-He comes together with her.

-

-Yes.

-The fruit, the seed,

-goes from him to her.

-So it isn't that much fun.

-No, not without didgeridoos.

-Didgeridoo!

-It's midnight, and we've come to

-help the three persons behind us.

-They're looking for hedgehogs.

-Hedgehogs aren't indigenous

-to this island.

-Someone introduced them

-around 1974 or 1975.

-Since then, they've become a pest.

-Hedgehogs are very fond

-of eating the eggs of birds...

-..that nest on the ground.

-It's been discovered that the number

-of birds that nest here...

-..especially redshanks,

-ringed plovers and dunlins...

-..has decreased by about 60%.

-The reason for this

-is that hedgehogs eat the eggs.

-So an experiment is under way

-to see if they can get rid of them.

-They go out with a lamp at night,

-see the little hedgehog's eyes...

-..catch them and kill them.

-It sound cruel, but

-they don't belong to this island.

-They cause a lot of trouble,

-so it's very important they go.

-They have to wear gloves...

-..because the hedgehogs

-carry all sorts of diseases.

-It's in the bag.

-It's amazing - they've already

-walked twice through this field...

-..in a fortnight, and they've caught

-three more this evening.

-It shows how great a problem it is.

-I don't know if they'll be able

-to get rid of all these animals.

-I hope they do. We'll see.

-888

-Fountain pippit.

-House wheatearse.

-Oh!

-Carrion flycatcher.

-< Purple crested warbler.

-Before continuing

-with our journey from the Uists...

-..over the sea to St Kilda,

-Dewi and I went to the mountains.

-I wanted to show him an old

-favourite of mine, the hen harrier.

-There! Do you see it?

-There! Do you see it?

-

-There it is.

-Isn't it pretty?

-It's lovely!

-Look at them move.

-How big is it?

-How big is it?

-

-About the size of a buzzard.

-How long are the wings?

-Three and a half feet.

-As big as that? Heavens!

-As big as that? Heavens!

-

-Yes, it has long wings.

-Are these found in Wales?

-Yes, you'll find around 30 pairs

-at most every year.

-They need a lot of land

-with heather.

-We don't have that much, while

-in Scotland, there's over 400...

-Hey, look at it now!

-See it go? Loop the loop!

-It's like a roller coaster.

-It's called a sky dance.

-It's displaying - it's telling

-any other cock in the area...

-..and there is another

-pair over there...

-.."stay out of my patch! I'm here."

-It's a marvellous sight,

-as fine as anything...

-..you'll see on this island.

-Marvellous. It sounds

-like an Indian saying, sky dance.

-She's going to land.

-Coming down?

-You can see the white backside.

-The female's bigger than the male.

-The female's bigger than the male.

-

-Is she?

-Yes, quite a bit.

-Because of this, they can eat

-a wide range of prey.

-He can eat mice and small birds.

-Then she can eat rabbits,

-and larger birds.

-So she hunts too?

-So she hunts too?

-

-Oh, yes.

-He looks nice now,

-the sun on his back.

-Yes.

-Lovely birds. They're my favourites.

-They are great.

-I found my first nest

-when I was 11 years old.

-I've been watching it

-ever since then.

-I grew up near the Berwyn mountains,

-where there's a lot of heather.

-I remember seeing these

-when I was a small boy.

-I go up the mountain every spring.

-Because of the dance?

-Yes, and because it flies to wild

-regions, the really lonely places.

-There's only you

-and the birds there.

-There's something

-special about that.

-Hey, Dewi, a golden eagle!

-Hey, Dewi, a golden eagle!

-

-Where?

-You see the white house in the

-distance? Straight up from there.

-Good heavens, look at the its size!

-Good heavens, look at the its size!

-

-Good grief!

-They're far away.

-Look, that raven is chasing it.

-What do you mean?

-It's chasing it.

-Look at the difference in size.

-Why can a raven chase

-a golden eagle?

-It could eat a small raven.

-Once out of the nest,

-an eagle could eat them.

-It eats hares, even small deers.

-So the raven always

-chases it mercilessly.

-But that's like me

-chasing Scott Quinnell!

-Yes, but the eagle thinks,

-'Well, I could attack.

-'But this bird has a big beak and

-could hurt me. I could lose an eye.'

-If an eagle is hurt, it dies.

-It depends on its eyes.

-Still, it makes you think.

-Is the raven faster than it?

-Not really. But the eagle

-has to be very careful.

-Hey, my first time!

-Hey, my first time!

-

-Really? You've never seen a...

-Hey, my first time!

-You've seen one?

-You've seen one?

-

-Yes, yes!

-You've seen one?

-You've never seen a golden eagle?

-You've never seen a golden eagle?

-

-No.

-As you saw, from afar

-I know, but good grief...

-..it's like seeing

-a barn door in the sky.

-It's time to leave the Uists.

-The weather was good enough for us

-to risk the 50 miles to the west...

-..over the Atlantic Ocean.

-St Kilda is a group of islands.

-The main island is Hirta...

-..where the village,

-our destination, is located.

-Before reaching

-Village Bay on Hirta...

-..we took advantage of the fantastic

-weather to have a look...

-..at Boraraigh Island and the Stacs,

-4 miles to the north east.

-Stac Lee is on the left...

-..and Stac an Armin on the right,

-rising to a height of over 600 ft.

-This is what makes St Kilda

-special for an ornithologist.

-It's the largest gannet

-nesting ground in the world.

-At the last count, 15 years ago...

-..more than 70,000 pairs of gannets

-nested on Boreray and the Stacs.

-Another count is about

-to be launched.

-Lots of people at home would say,

-"You've been counting birds.

-"What's the point?"

-It's a good point.

-The reason why is that these

-gannets, like all sea birds...

-..are on top of the food chain.

-They eat fish, and fish eat things

-in the water, like plankton.

-You can't count plankton, you can't

-count fish, but you can count birds.

-If the birds do well,

-that means that the sea is healthy.

-The sea is exceptionally calm.

-No wind, no waves. We had to make

-the most of the opportunity.

-No-one had landed

-on Boreray for three years.

-Hurray!

-If you think I'm going to do that,

-you're bloomin' joking!

-There's still quite a way to go.

-There's still quite a way to go.

-

-I'm sweating already.

-Me, too.

-Those are Soay sheep, named

-after one of St Kilda's islands.

-These come from an ancient native

-stock that are totally wild by now.

-Alright?

-Alright?

-

-Yes.

-It's quite a climb.

-It's quite a climb.

-

-I don't like heights.

-Don't look down.

-When I look up, I see your bum.

-And how far we have to go!

-I'd rather see your bum

-than look down.

-BOTH PANT

-Not far now.

-Not far now.

-

-No?

-A thousand feet.

-I'm not going any further.

-My head's starting to spin.

-Wow, what a place.

-Wow, what a place.

-

-I'll sit here.

-I read in this book that the blokes

-who lived here long ago...

-..came here in boats,

-climbed up to catch the birds.

-They climbed right to the top

-and then used a rope to go down...

-..and catch the birds.

-Weren't they brave?

-Weren't they brave?

-

-Amazing.

-There's an old English name

-for them - solan goose.

-They look like large, white geese.

-These?

-These?

-

-Yes.

-They arrive here to nest

-in March or April.

-You can see some of them

-carrying nesting material.

-They add to the nest all season.

-They stay with the chicks until

-October. The adults leave first.

-The chicks are huge and fat -

-and they just leave them.

-Where do they go?

-Where do they go?

-

-Just out to sea.

-What, they just fly to sea,

-and land on the sea?

-Yes. Think why they're here,

-on a rock in the middle of the sea.

-To lay eggs.

-There's nothing here -

-but for them, it's a safe place.

-No danger from things like foxes.

-There's food around them everywhere

-in the sea, so it's an ideal spot.

-That's why they come to this rock.

-The white and black ones

-are gannets.

-What's the other one - a fulmar?

-Those small, grey ones?

-Those small, grey ones?

-

-That's it, a fulmar.

-That's like a small albatross,

-with its long, thin wings.

-It has two tubes on its beak, that

-take the salt out of the water.

-It can live at sea for years.

-And drink the water? Like a filter?

-And drink the water? Like a filter?

-

-Yes.

-With the sun on them,

-they look very bright.

-Marvellous.

-This is Stac an Armin.

-In the bird-watching world,

-it's a historical place.

-Halfway up, on the right -

-I can see it through the binox...

-..there's a small hut made

-of rocks, a cleit. Have a look.

-There, in 1840, the last great auk

-in Britain was killed.

-What's a great auk?

-It's from the same family as the

-razorbill, the guillemot and puffin.

-But it was more like a penguin,

-and large, like this.

-It couldn't fly.

-It couldn't fly.

-

-How did it get up there?

-On its feet, it had a kind of claw,

-and could climb well.

-But it couldn't fly.

-Under the water, it was great.

-It had small wings. But the last one

-was killed there, in 1840.

-The men climbed up?

-The men climbed up?

-

-Yes, after it.

-And only four years

-after that, in 1844...

-..the last of them all

-was killed in Iceland.

-Isn't that sad?

-Isn't that sad?

-

-Yes.

-It's great for me to come here -

-it's like a pilgrimage.

-It was a dangerous place for

-those men to climb, to get the auk.

-Have you heard the story about the

-lesser beach gull in Aberystwyth?

-It lived on the beach.

-This male gull passed by.

-He said, "Hello. Want

-to meet tomorrow, at 8.00pm?"

-The female answered,

-"I live here. Where do you live?"

-The male answered,

-"On Consti Hill. See you at 8.00."

-The next day, she waited for him at

-8.00. 8.15 came, 8.30, 9.00, 9.30...

-..but there was no sign of him.

-He arrived at ten o'clock.

-She asked, "Where have you been?"

-He said, "It was so nice,

-I decided to walk down."

-Where's the rock? I'm going down

-this way, after a joke like that!

-888

-As we left Boreray, heading for

-Hirta, St Kilda's main island...

-..we passed Stac Lee.

-I found it difficult to believe that

-the islanders of old could climb it.

-But they did.

-They spent every summer...

-..harvesting the birds

-and eggs from the noisy ledges.

-Aldous Huxley had a theory

-that an ideal community...

-..could be established, if isolated

-from the rest of the world.

-Where better to isolate people

-than on an island?

-For centuries,

-the people of St Kilda...

-..had amazingly few links

-with the world.

-Perhaps this lack of awareness

-of the world made them contented.

-Gradually, contact

-with the outside world...

-..eroded that contentment.

-In 1930, for their own

-welfare, it was said...

-..the inhabitants were persuaded

-to leave for the mainland.

-For over 25 years afterwards, until

-1957, the islands were uninhabited.

-At that time, the National Trust

-took an interest in the place...

-..and the army too.

-A missile tracking station

-was established here.

-By the 1980s, the uniqueness

-of the place was recognised.

-The islands were designated a World

-Heritage Site by the United Nations.

-This is St Kilda's main street.

-It's more of a path.

-Yes. This is where the factor lived.

-He was the manager

-for the McLeods on the mainland.

-Here?

-The people lived

-in those small houses.

-Those small cottages.

-The first to write

-about St Kilda and its people...

-..was a man called Martin Martin...

-..when he visited

-the islands in 1697.

-He describes "the remarkable

-inhabitants of the isles...

-.."have a genius

-for poetry, music and dancing...

-.."and an amazing suppleness

-for climbing rocks...

-.."and the walls of their houses."

-Out of necessity,

-it was a very close-knit society.

-The men held a daily parliament.

-There they decided

-on the work for that day.

-They all met here to decide.

-That's a good thing, isn't it?

-Right, quiet, please!

-Thank you. Today's arrangements.

-I want you, Dewi,

-to go over that high hill.

-There are steep cliffs

-the other side.

-I want you to count birds there.

-While you do that,

-I'm going to have a cuppa.

-Maybe it wasn't such a good thing.

-Iolo!

-It looks like a Neolithic village.

-It looks like a Neolithic village.

-

-It does.

-It dates back to that time,

-apparently.

-Their shape does.

-Do we know when people

-came here first?

-Half past four?

-I heard it was half past six,

-a bit later than that.

-These look like huts.

-They're called cleits.

-They caught sea birds, then hung

-them up on the walls inside...

-..to dry, and keep over winter.

-Have a look in here.

-It goes to the left and right.

-It's quite big.

-Yes. There are hundreds

-of them, as you see.

-With turf on the roof,

-to keep the rain out.

-There used to be a wooden door.

-They would get that from shipwrecks

-as there isn't any wood here.

-No, there aren't any trees here.

-It's interesting, there was a kind

-of annual calendar with the birds.

-It began in March, when the

-razorbills and guillemots arrived.

-The people ate those,

-after a long, hard winter.

-Then they went on to the puffins,

-who returned next.

-Then they'd eat some of the eggs.

-But the most important time,

-by far...

-..was August, September and October.

-In August, the fulmars. They ate

-the chicks when they were big.

-They'd get meat and oil.

-Then they'd move on to gannets.

-They killed them

-in September and October.

-That was the vital food,

-which was stored in these.

-It sustained them right up

-until the following March.

-I read somewhere that they killed

-around 10,000 fulmars.

-They must have killed

-thousands of gannets too.

-This was a kind of pantry,

-like Mam had to keep meat.

-Exactly. Some people

-kept ropes inside them.

-Others might store crops.

-Everything they wanted

-to keep dry and safe went in here.

-The only difference from our fridges

-is that when you opened this door...

-..the light didn't go on.

-That was a bad joke.

-Apart from the birds, sheep

-were their main sustenance.

-But they were very wild sheep,

-and very difficult to corral.

-"To catch them, one had to use dogs,

-and run them down one by one.

-"The sport of catching them was one

-of the islanders' main amusements,"

-..according to Martin.

-This is Conachair, Dewi.

-Quite a name!

-It's the highest cliff in Britain.

-From the sea to its summit,

-it's almost 1,500 ft.

-There are fulmars everywhere here.

-People came here every August...

-..to catch the chicks

-when they were quite large.

-Iolo - it's quite steep.

-You can say that again.

-You can say that again.

-

-Iolo - it's quite steep!

-I read that, to catch the birds,

-they put a stake in the earth here.

-They tied a rope, not like ropes

-we know, but one of horse hair...

-..with a little leather to protect

-it from the wind and rain.

-They tied it there,

-then went over the edge.

-They'd let themselves down,

-on their own.

-They'd catch the chicks,

-tie them to their belts...

-..then go back up. I can't think

-of going any closer than this.

-Amazing. Brave people. Still,

-if you've grown up with it...

-..since you were a small boy of four

-or five, climbing with Dad.

-I can imagine,

-but can't get used to it!

-The older I get, the worse it is.

-The older I get, the worse it is.

-

-It's getting cloudy, we'd better go.

-Off we go.

-Oh... this is the best way.

-Off we go.

-You'll be glad to get down.

-The rain's coming.

-These used to be sheep folds.

-They're an odd shape.

-They are.

-I read why they're this shape.

-One of the village men

-built these walls.

-He decided this was

-the shape they should be.

-Why this shape?

-Why this shape?

-

-He was dead drunk most of the time.

-Remind me not to ask you

-any more questions!

-It's high time for us

-to join the bird survey.

-We've come here today

-to help some scientists.

-They're doing a survey of sea birds,

-which is done every 15 years.

-Money is contributed by bodies...

-..such as the Countryside

-Council for Wales, the RSPB...

-..English Nature, Scottish National

-Heritage, JNCC, and so on.

-They do a survey of every island

-and cliff, everywhere in Britain.

-Then that information

-is available for everyone.

-We've come to this steep part,

-to look in the holes.

-There's a special technique to find

-out how many birds there are here.

-We'll meet Sue now, who has a tape.

-OK, fire away, Sue.

-SOUND OF BIRD ON TAPE

-SOUND OF BIRD REPLYING

-Did you hear that?

-Sue plays a tape

-of a Manx shearwater...

-..then the bird answers it.

-Then she knows there's a bird there,

-and what it is.

-She has a tape of other birds too.

-It could be a puffin or a petrel.

-But we know now that

-it's a Manx shearwater.

-Sue will divide this area, take

-one part, and look in every hole.

-She'll play the tape at every hole,

-find out if there's a bird there...

-..or if it's empty. Then she has

-an idea of the number of birds here.

-We know from

-the survey of fifteen years ago...

-..there were 4,000 pairs

-of Manx shearwaters here...

-..and over 300,000 puffins.

-It's the largest colony

-of puffins in Britain.

-Nice one, Sue. Move on?

-Nice one, Sue. Move on?

-

-OK.

-If you want to find out what's in

-the holes, there are two techniques.

-This is the easiest.

-Sue has a tube that goes in.

-Yes.

-There's a tiny camera

-on that - with a light.

-It's linked to this screen.

-Look at the screen.

-Can you see it?

-It's a Manx shearwater.

-Can you see it?

-Can you see it?

-

-Good grief!

-It has a bluish-black back,

-a white belly and a small beak.

-One of the pair is usually

-out at sea, feeding all day.

-The other one sits on a single egg.

-At night, they come in.

-She'll go out to sea...

-..and he'll come back

-to sit on the egg.

-He sits on it too?

-Yes. This is the best technique

-to find out what is in every hole.

-Doing this isn't very fair!

-Doing this isn't very fair!

-

-Why?

-Imagine you're at home,

-watching 'Pobol y Cwm'.

-A tube comes in

-through the window...

-..and a voice says, "Look, they're

-watching 'Pobol y Cwm'!" Push off!

-No, it's good.

-It's very useful.

-Sometimes you need to know details.

-Things like the success of nesting,

-have they laid an egg...

-..have they hatched a chick,

-is the chick healthy, and so on.

-With this, you don't have to put

-your hand in or hold the bird...

-..or interfere too much.

-..or interfere too much.

-

-This doesn't bother them at all?

-No. Look - it just sits on the egg.

-It just sits there

-thinking it's another film crew!

-We've reached

-the spot I'd read about.

-I can't go any further - he's gone

-up. That's the Lover's Stone.

-Iolo! There was a test

-in the old days.

-If you wanted a wife,

-you had to climb to the end...

-..balance on one heel,

-then hold your toes with both hands.

-Think you can do it?

-Um... know what?

-Um... know what?

-

-What?

-I've just remembered, fortunately,

-I'm already married, Dewi.

-Come down!

-When someone died, the fastest way

-to transmit the news...

-..from one place to another...

-..was by shouting the name

-of that unfortunate person.

-SHOUTS

-SHOUTS

-

-Duncan Moore.

-Donald McLeod.

-Duncan McQueen.

-Like many Celtic people,

-the islanders believed...

-..that the soul

-did not go directly to heaven...

-..but that it was found in rocks,

-streams and wells, even in birds.

-There it would remain,

-doing penance...

-..until the hour came

-to go to heaven.

-By 1920, tourism

-had gripped the islanders.

-Many accepted gifts of money, cakes,

-sweets, anything, from the visitors.

-Some asked a fee for taking

-naturalists around the island...

-..looking for birds,

-their nests, and eggs.

-The islanders' traditional way

-of life was finally ending.

-By the 1920s, the need and desire

-to venture on the rocks had ceased.

-Some wanted to show their prowess

-to the visitors' cameras.

-But the esteem for the daring

-climbs wasn't what it used to be.

-Their renown for catching birds,

-linking life so closely to death...

-..was fated to disappear for ever.

-In 1927, a Nurse Barclay was sent

-here by the Health Authority.

-She, more than anyone, persuaded

-the islanders to leave the place...

-..and look for a better life

-on the mainland.

-In every house, a small pile

-of oats was left with an open Bible.

-On 30th August, 1930, the last

-36 villagers left the island...

-..on a ship for the mainland.

-They left the island empty, for

-the first time in over 1,000 years.

-The islanders' plight after

-leaving the island was a sad one.

-Most went to Argyll to work

-for the Forestry Commission.

-But as none of them

-had seen a tree before...

-..it's no wonder they lost heart.

-The fate of those who joined the

-foreign, urban culture was the same.

-The change of world overwhelmed

-many of the older islanders.

-Many soon died. Longing for the

-island weighed heavily upon them.

-This is part of a letter

-by Alexander Ferguson...

-..ten years after leaving.

-"Recently, I went

-on a boat to Shillay Island.

-"When I saw St Kilda in the

-distance, in the summer haze...

-.."I felt like Moses

-on Mount Pisgah...

-.."looking towards

-the Promised Land."

-S4C Subtitles by:

-GWEAD